Space.com - 27 May 2010
Hypersonic Jet Screams Through the Stratophere at Mach 5An experimental aircraft has set a new record for the longest hypersonic flight after streaking across the sky Wednesday for more than three minutes while flying at Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound — the United States Air Force has announced.
The vehicle, called the X-51A Waverider, dropped from a B-52 Stratofortress mother ship while flying over the Pacific Ocean just off the southern California coast. It successfully ignited an air-breathing scramjet engine than accelerated up to Mach 5, Air Force officials said in the announcement.
The entire test flight lasted just over 200 seconds, more than 10 times longer than the previous hypersonic record (just 12 seconds) set by NASA's X-43 vehicle in 2004.
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Wednesday's test flight was aimed at evaluating the X-51A's scramjet engine, thermal protection, stability and control, and other systems.
With a profile that gives it a shark-like look, the X-51A scramjet cruiser is 14 feet (4.2 meters) long and is virtually wingless. It is designed to ride the shockwave it creates during flight, leading to its nickname "Waverider," the Air Force has said.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne built the SJY61 scramjet engine at the heart of the X-51A cruiser.
Discover Blogs | 80Beats | 27 May 2010
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